The prime ministers of Australia and Japan have agreed to work together to help promote safer nuclear power generation.

The agreement, contained in an 11-point communique released in Tokyo, is aimed as strengthening safety standards around the world.

Julia Gillard and Naoto Kan's pledge is in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Mr Kan has also promised to "thoroughly review" the Fukushima accident with "maximum transparency".

The prime ministers held talks on a range of issues today, covering defence cooperation, reform of the UN Security Council and climate change.

They say they will work together to combat climate change, alleviate poverty and advance nuclear disarmament.

The leaders also discussed thornier issues, such as whaling. Mr Kan said while Australia saw "eye-to-eye" on most topics, they simply disagreed on whaling.

Ms Gillard also presented Mr Kan with a rescue helmet as a gift.

It belonged to Rob McNeil, who was the leader of an Australian search and rescue team that went to Japan in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Ms Gillard gave Mr Kan the helmet before their talks.

He was clearly happy to receive it and posed with it on his head for photographers.

Mr Kan was also given a letter from an eight-year-old Perth boy who offered his toys and a holiday at his home to a Japanese youngster who lost his parents in the tsunami.

Earlier on Thursday Ms Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson were granted an audience with emperor Akihito and empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace.

Ms Gillard says she told the emperor and empress that Australia would aid Japan's recovery after last month's earthquake and tsunami.

"It was a very great privilege to meet with them, and it gave me the opportunity to personally convey to their majesties the feelings of the Australian people about the devastating natural disaster here," she said.

"They expressed to both of us their very sincere gratitude for the work Australia has done to assist the people of Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

"They also inquired about how we were responding and overcoming from our summer of natural disasters."

Ms Gillard later attended a luncheon with business leaders and told them Australia would become Japan's most important supplier of liquefied natural gas.

Among the guests were the chairmen of Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi.

Ms Gillard told the audience Japan could also rely on Australia to supply coal and iron ore as it rebuilt communities destroyed by last month's twin disasters.

The Prime Minister will deliver a major speech at the Japanese Press Club on Friday.

Free trade is the oldest argument in federal politics and the issue that literally defined the federation era but opposition exists to the TPP, courtesy of the Investor-State Dispute Resolutions clause.